TAYLOR SWIFT

Hometown: Hendersonville, Tenn. Nominations: Last year's horizon award winner (the CMA equivalent of best new artist) is up against the queens of country music for top female vocalist. Early Bloomer: This young star, 18, told Entertainment Weekly that as a kid she went door-to-door in Nashville in search of a record deal, with the pitch, "Hi, I'm Taylor. I'm 11. I want a record deal. Call me."